DIALOGUE WITH THE OTHER
May 12,2008 00:00 by admin
DIALOGUE WITH THE OTHER  The Islamic religion and its prophet Mohammed (May peace be upon him) has been attacked by some western media in the form of sarcastic caricatures. This is partially due to total ignorance of Islam. Thus it becomes of utmost necessity to clarify what is Islam and what does Islam stand for. In the following pages I will try to shed some light on the basic principles of Islam. This religion stands for belief in all the prophets Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon and the messiah Jesus Christ who has been fully described in the holy Quraan as follows: 1- “He will speak to the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous.” Aal-imran (46). 2- “And he (god) will teach him (Jesus) the book and al-hikma (i.e. the sunna, the faultless speech of the prophets, wisdom), and the torah and the gospel.”   Aal-imran (48). 3- “And will make him (Jesus) a messenger to the children of Israel (saying) I have come to you with a sign from your lord. that i design for you out of clay as it were, the figure of a bird and breathe into it and it becomes a bird by god’s leave, and I heal him who was born blind and the leper and I bring the dead to life by god’s leave. And I inform you of what you eat and what you store in your houses. Surely therein is a sign for you if you believe.” Aal-imran (49).   4- “O people of the scriptures (Jews and Christians), do not exceed the limits in your religion, nor say of god aught but the truth. The messiah Jesus son of mary, was (no more than) a messenger of god and his word, (be! and he was) which he bestowed on Mary and a spirit (Ruh) created by him, so believe in god and his messengers. Say not three (trinity) cease (it is) better for you. For god is (the only) one Ilah (god) glory be to him (far exalted is he) above having a son. To him belongs all that is in the heavens and all that is in the earth. And god is all-sufficient as a disposer of affairs?.” Al-nisaa (171).  Compare this with Jesus description of himself as in the New Testament. (As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him, “good teacher” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”, “why do you call me good?” Jesus answered, “no one is good. Except god alone”) mark, chapter 10.
As to Moses god has talked to him as follows as described in the holy Quran:  1- God said: O Moses! I have chosen you above men by my messages and by my speaking (to you), so hold that which I have given you and be of the grateful.  Al-araf (144). 2- And indeed we gave to Moses nine clear signs. Ask then the children of Israel, when he came to them. Al-israa (101) Islam is the religion which believes in all the holy books revealed the old testament, the new testament and the holy Quraan (it is he who has sent down the book (the Quraan) to you (Mohammad), with truth confirming what came before it. and he sent down the torah and the gospel, aforetime as a guidance to mankind and he sent down the criterion of judgment between right and wrong (this Quraan), truly those who disbelieve in the ayat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations etc.) of god, for them there is a severe torment, and god is almighty all-able of retribution. . Aal-imran (3-4).  The Muslim believes in all the prophets and does not differentiate between the prophets. and any one who discredits Islam is also discrediting Christianity and Judaism (the messenger (Mohammad) believes in what has been sent down to him from his lord, and so do the believers, each one believes in Allah, his angles, his books and his messengers, they say we make no distinction between one another of his messengers and they say we hear and we obey (we seek) your forgiveness our lord and to you is the return (of all)). Al-baqra (285).  Muslims in their belief love their prophet Mohamed even more than themselves. Muslims are 1,200 millions and anyone who despises their prophet is despising all of them and he is spreading hatred and religious discrimination and is fighting against the high values of the human kind.  Islam is the religion of peace. The Muslim repeats the word peace in his daily prayers at least 28 times. The word peace is the greeting word for all Muslims in their daily life. Muslims are ordered by the holy Quraan to open dialogue with the Christians and Jews the people of the book in the best way (and argue not with the people of the scriptures (Jews and Christians) unless it be in (a way) that is better (with good words and in good manner inviting them to Islamic monotheism with his verses) except with such of them as do wrong and say (to them) we believe in that which has been revealed to us and revealed to you our Ilah (god) and your Ilah (god) is one and to him we have submitted (as Muslims)) Al-ankabot 46. Thus Muslims believe in all that has been revealed to the Christians and the Jews in the holy books and our god and their god is the same god.  But as westerners are believers mainly in the materialistic aspect of life thus we have to point to them the truth of Islam through their books and their writers as follows:- 1) God is one and effect of the prayers.The writer Barry sears Phd in his book (the anti ageing zone) in page 117 emphasized the importance of mediation to reach the goal of healthy life with a healthy brain. He pointed a few steps to achieve practical mediation through sitting for 20 minutes in a quite room and repeat a word during these twenty minutes to establish a sense of oneness with the universe. He recommended to repeat the word (one) which he considered as a good choice.  The results will be:- -     Reduction of the blood pressure-     Reduction of the heart rate-     Improved immune function-     Reduction of cortisol levels and improvement of brain longevity. The word one proved to be the good choice to be repeated for 20 minutes. The writer did not realize that the word one is one of the names of god. What if he realizes the meaning of this word when he mediates? at the same time performing the daily prayers and its effect we will find that the prayer is one of the most important factors to achieve healthy and happy life in the midst of the daily pressure of life and the many disturbing factors affecting our health. Most of the pressure is released during the prayers as proven by medical research. 2) Fasting.Fasting is the third pillar of Islam. Please refer to the book (prescription for nutritional healing) by p. Balch (cnc) and j. Balch. Who recommend fasting for any illness including colon disorders, allergies and respiratory diseases. Fasting cleans the blood, liver, kidneys, colon, eyes, the tongue and the breath and helps rebuild the immune system. Toxins enter our bodies with the food we eat and the water we drink due the high level of chemicals in whatever enters our bodies. The writers gave six reasons of the healthy effect of fasting on our bodies which include:- -     The body excretes toxins while no new toxins are added because of fasting results in reduction of total body toxicity.-     The energy used for food digestion is redirected to the immune system.-     Tissue oxygenation is increased during the fasting and the white blood cells move in a more efficient way.-     Pesticides and other drugs are released during fasting. The writers recommend fasting at least for three days every month and in addition to twenty days a year. This is reported in America number one guide for natural health.  Compare this with Prophet Mohammed saying (fast and you will be healthy).Muslims fast for one month in Ramadan as obligatory duty of all Muslim adults. And Muslims fast voluntarily three days a month and on Monday and Thursday and on the occasion of prophet Moses (peace be upon him) crossing the sea when he escaped from pharaoh and the occasion of Arafat hajj day for those who not performing Haj and six days after Ramadan Eid.  in this we discover that medically recommended fasting is almost concurrent with Muslim fasting but Islamic fasting adds the spiritual aspect of fasting in which a Muslim must not only fast from the food but must fast from any ill behavior any mistreatment of the others. it has deep spiritual aspects.  Additionally all Muslims must donate at the end of Ramadan 2.5kgs of rice or cereal for each member of his family to be donated to the poor. Thus a society of 20 millions Muslims will donate at the end of Ramadan 45 million kgs of rice or wheat to the poor. This definitely helps in reducing poverty.    3) Distribution of wealth. a- Al-Zakah.Al-Zakah is the fourth pillar of Islam. Al-zakah is the amount to be paid yearly from the rich and middle class to the poor in order to help the ageing and these who can not pay back their debts and the disabled and those who has no job and those who intend to marry and can not afford. The distributors of Al-Zakah in the Muslim society call every day for those who are poor, those who are burdened by debts and those who want to marry and can not afford to. In order to help them from the fund of Al-Zakah. Let us give an example for the economic effect of Al-zakah on society:-If a merchant has one million dollar worth of goods in his stock he will contribute $ 25,000 for the year as Zakah. Let us suppose this wealth remains in value as it is for 40 years. This means this merchant will contribute one million dollar in 40 years to the fund for the poor equivalent to his initial capital. This process in its total effect definitely will eliminate the problem of poverty. Al-Zakah is compulsory for any goods value or cash worth more than 20 Dinars at a rate of 2.5% p.a. (Fiqh Al-Zakah part one by Dr. Yosuf Al-Qaradawi page 250).  At the same time the produce of the land is subjected to 10% contribution to this fund if the land is irrigated by rain or river water. While land irrigated by machine or other means is subjected to 5% contribution. Once the crop reaches 653 kgs as per the Quraan ayats )take Sadaqa (alms) from their wealth in order to purify them and sanctify them with it, and invoke Allah for them. Verily! Your invocations are a source of security for them, and Allah is all hearer all knower) Al-touba (103). (But pay the due thereof (Its Zakat, according to Allah’s orders 1/10th or 1/20th) on the day of its harvest) Al-Anaam (141) (as-Sadaqat (here it means Zakat) are only for the Fuqara (the poor who do not beg), and Al-Masakin (the poor who beg) and those employed to collect the (funds); and for to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allah’s cause, and for the wayfarer (a traveller who is cut off from everything) a duty imposed by Allah.  And Allah is all-knower all-wise) Al-tauba (60).  b- The inheritance system.the Islamic law of inheritance (as detailed in the holy Quraan) distributes the wealth between the father, the mother, the wife or husband, the sons and daughters even brothers and sisters in case no sons are their to inherit, compare this system with the western system in which all the wealth is passed to the eldest son alone. This has deprived the mother, the wife, the daughters the father, the other sons from any share. This has resulted in accumulation of the wealth in few hands and this has resulted in the feudal system in the west and later the capitalist system with all its woes. The communist system and socialist system came to correct the   ill-effects of the capitalist system. But even so the communist system proved to be a failure as it killed all the incentives for the increase in the production. Thus the west implemented two laws, one is the tax system of the inherited wealth, the second was to distribute the wealth among a wider number of the family of the deceased creating a better distribution of wealth.  This corrective step was realized only about 60 years ago a system which Islam realized 14 centuries ago. 4) The Haj.The Haj is the fifth pillar of Islam. It is an annual event in which more than 2.5 million Muslims gather in Arafat from all races the whites, the blacks kings, presidents, the poor and rich all dressed in simple white cloth. All are equal in front of god with no distinctions as all are descendants from Adam and Adam is originally from clay. All stand in Arafat on the same day to repent and get rid of the sins and pray to god to forgive them for their sins and to start a clean page. All Muslims (men and women) duty is to perform Haj once in their life time once they are capable of performing it. This conference has no similar resemblance in the whole world in its intention, its effect and its results. 5) Prophet Mohammed.Prophet Mohammed (May peace be upon him) has always been the true light which saved the human race. He has been the mercy bestowed from god. A quick look at some of his teachings will reveal the truth of his message as messenger of god as follows:-  a- The woman.          The woman was saved by Islam as newly born baby girls were buried alive in the pre-Islamic era. Islam gave her share of the wealth from her father, mother, son, daughter or husband. This has distinguished the women in Islam from the women in the west. The women in the west were deprived from any share in the wealth till the second world war when the system of inheritance was changed. At the same time Islam has distinguished the mother with a very special status as entry to paradise is under the mothers feet. b- The child.The great religion of Islam took care of the children from the beginning in choosing the right mother, in giving the child a nice name, in guaranteeing him breast feeding for two years from his birth. Barry sears in the book (anti ageing zone) gave full details about breast feeding importance which is recently scientifically proven. Its importance is attributed to two factors:- 1-  Breast feeding is superior to any type of bottle feeding. The result in the iq scores will be higher and the immune system will be stronger. Due to the unique characteristics of the human breast milk. Its fatty acid composition. Its richness in gamma Linolenic acid and long-chain mega 3 fatty acids. The writer confirmed that the infant formulas are devoid of these unique fatty acids. 2-  In the first two years of life of the new born the brain is the most rapidly growing organ more than 50% of the total brain mass is composed of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. Without these fatty acids the neurological network will be at risk.  In the first two years of life of the new born the brain is the most rapidly growing organ more than 50% of the total brain mass is composed of long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. Without these fatty acids the neurological network will be at risk. What this writer has pointed as newly discovered scientific fact of breast feeding for two years has been clearly described in the holy Quraan about fourteen centuries ago. As this was revealed by god the creator of the child brain who knows all the secrets of the brain, its growth and its components. In the ayah (the mothers shall give suck to their children for two whole years) Al-Baqraa (233). The husband has to support the breast feeding of his child for two years. This is an important step to bring up clever healthy children. c- Slavery.Islam contributed greatly towards freeing the slaves. Some of the sins committed are purified through freeing of slaves:- 1) (It is not for a believer to kill a believer except that it be by mistake, and whosoever kills a believer by mistake (it is ordained that) he must set free a believing slave and a compensation (blood-money) be given to the deceased’s family) Al-Nisaa (92)  2) (And those who make unlawful to them their wives and wish to free themselves from what  they uttered, the penalty in that case is the freeing of a slave before they touch each other) Al-Mujadilh (3).  3) (But he (god) will punish you for your deliberate oaths, for its expiation (a deliberate oath) feed ten poor persons, or manumit a slave). Al-Maida (89). 4) Freeing slaves has been one of the eight channels for distributing Zakat. d- Increase in the level of iron in the blood.The book (real age) by Elizabeth Stephenson and Michael Rozen wrote about the high level of iron in the blood and reported the following facts. Iron is added to breakfast cereals as supplement. The writers warned against iron overload which can be life threatening. They gave an example of Mr. Jason a body builder 24 years old who could lift 350 pounds. After 3 years of daily iron supplement he became an old man. The iron he took was killing him. He could hardly get out of his chair. He was treated with the bleeding method to remove the excess iron. This is the only method to remove the excess iron. This case proves that iron in large amount can be toxic.  Iron overload symptoms are abdominal pain, fatigue, loss of sex-drive, enlargement of the liver, shrinking of the testicles and in severe cases Hemochromatosis (chronic iron overload) which damages the liver and the heart.  The writers gave an example of one finish study which showed that the rate of heart attacks double when iron concentration in the blood exceeded 220mg/dl. The writers also explained the probable link between cancer and high iron levels in the blood by two theories a) iron is an oxidant which enhances the production of free radicals. b) Cancer cells appear to demand more iron. The iron fuels the cancer cells to grow rapidly. Thus we come to know that excess iron can be fatal and the only method to cure it is through bleeding.   The prophet has emphasized bleeding as a method of treatment (one of the best methods of treatment is Al-Hijamah cupping) thus today medical discovery has been revealed to Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) 14 centuries ago. 7) Terrorism and the social structure.Islam has been anti terrorist in its teachings by prohibiting killing of innocent lives. Any deviation from the teachings of Islam is due to misunderstanding or misinterpretation of these high values. Terrorism of the twentieth century and twenty first century has been observed with following questions:- 1/ who has killed the millions in the first world war? 2/ who has killed the millions in the second world war? 3/ who has dropped the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? 4/ who has declared the Crusification wars for 90 years? 5/ who has shed the blood in the holy mosque of Aqsa when blood of the Muslims killed reached the knees? 6/ who has declared the colonial wars? 7/ who has driven the Palestinians out of their land and make it his daily practice to kill them. 8/ at the same time we put a big question mark in regard to the laws which recognize marriage of the same sex, man to man and woman to woman.  As this means the end of the human race on earth. It means the end of the family if it spreads. It means the spread of std diseases, the spread of aids the destruction of the high values of the human race. This kind of relationship is refused even by the animals. This is not freedom but actually the destruction of the human race and the human values and it is actually slavery of the sexual desire.  Conclusion.Islam in principle stands against killing of innocent people. It prohibits killing of women, the old and children even during the war. Islam preaches peace and preaches the building of the happy family and its protection in order to enjoy this life and the life after.  Islam has always opened kind dialogue with the Christians and Jews for the last 14 centuries. Islam stands for a well integrated social and economics system which protects the family, the child and the woman and which has freed the slaves.  thus Muslims can not accept any insult to their religion or to their prophet as they believe in all the prophets and all the holy books and as a result all Muslims stand for their right to ask for justice and trial for anyone who has initiated this cartons crisis and those who planned it under the cover of freedom of the press. This insult of the prophet Mohammed (peach be upon him) has resulted in the killing of innocent lives and those responsible for the caricatures must be held accountable for their deed.  In the end I quote Bernard show the British writer who said about prophet Mohamed (It is shameful if any one ridicules the savior of the human race Mohamed) may Peace be on him for ever.   MOHAMMED ALI BASURRAHRESEARCHER IN ISLAMIC CULTURE